Teams365 Blog - Potentials Realized

#TEAMS365 #1979 - Stepping into a New Month

6/1/2019

Welcome to June! What’s exciting about this month for you? What are your new goals?

As we step into a new month, I’m excited to be focusing on undertaking a mid-year review with you this month. We’ll be reconnecting with some of the core activities that help teams and organizations excel:

Team Tune Up
Systems Check
Feedback and Performance Check
Coaching and Mentoring
Streamlining Meetings
Presentations
Knowledge Management – Capturing Successes and Strategic Issues

It’s also an opportunity to take stock of the past month and look ahead to what you want to create in June. Before we go further, I hope that you will take a few minutes to explore these questions. Grab a pen and journal and let’s go. Given that we are stepping into the middle part of the year, what do you want to note about what you want to create by the end of the month? By the end of Q2?

Here are some questions to consider:

As you reflect on May, what have been your successes and accomplishments?
What are you most proud of?
What successes this month do you want to duplicate? What has been some of your key learning?
What key relationships have helped you so far this year? Which ones need more attention?
What has helped your successes? What has hindered?
What does your team need to be acknowledged for?

As you look to June, consider these questions:

What are your key priorities for June?
What are the key goals?
What are the major priorities?
What will you need to place attention on?
What changes do you want to make in June?
What resources do you want to tap into?
By the end of the month, which will be the middle of the year, what do you want to make sure you have completed?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.

#TEAMS365 #1978 – May Month End Review: Teamwork in Uncertainty

5/31/2019

This month we explored the topic of Teamwork in Uncertainty. From looking at the statistics of readers, it seems like it was a very resonant topic for those who visited the Teams365 blog this month. If you haven’t taken a look at this month’s posts, please be sure to check out:

1968 – Tuesday May 21: Teamwork in Uncertainty – Pivot
1969 – Wednesday May 22: Teamwork in Uncertainty - Comfort with the Unknown
1974 –– Tuesday May 28: Teamwork in Uncertainty – Strengths and Go-Tos
1975 – Wednesday May 29: Teamwork in Uncertainty – Synergies

As we step into the end of May, I thought it would be useful to reach back to one of the posts from last May on Prioritization.

One of the most disruptive things about disruption is the impact on our focus. Prioritization becomes a key skill set to cultivate.

Here’s what I wrote last May about leading in complexity -

“Prioritization is a skill set we draw upon regularly in times of complexity. Prioritization allows all team members to regularly scan and manage their workload.

Key to prioritization is:

Having the tools to prioritize
Feeling empowered to make decisions and take responsibility for managing workload
Understanding what is most important – to the different players of the team, as well as the different time frames you are working on (short term, medium term)

In past Teams365 posts I’ve explored a range of prioritization skills including the Urgent/Important Matrix (we often attribute to Covey), as well as a Decision Matrix where we weigh what’s important in making our decisions.

For more on the topic of prioritization, check out these additional resources:
This excellent article from MindTools.com - which has an incredible amount of other resources team members and leaders will also want to check out.

LiquidPlanner.com's article on How to Prioritize Work When Everything Is #1 - Read it here."

For those that are looking at prioritization through the lens of product design, you'll want to take a look at this excellent article 20 Product Prioritization Techniques.

In my books PlanDoTrack and the Coaching Business Builder I share four prioritization tools I use regularly with my clients and teams including the Urgent/Important Matrix and Strategic Issues Mapping.

The issue of prioritization takes on increased importance when we are working as part of a matrix or remote team. In these instances, our priorities may be varied and not as visible to ourselves and others. What is important for you to note around prioritization?

Best
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.

#TEAMS365 #1947 – Month End Review and Reflection

4/30/2019

It’s hard to believe but here we are at the end of another month. I hope that you will take some time to build in a reflective pause to consider:

What have your major accomplishments been this month?
What goals have you achieved – for the month? The quarter? The year?
What habits and practices have helped you? what got in the way?
What projects have started? Ended? Will continue?
What resourcing has been useful? What else do you need to be successful?
What relationships are important to focus on going forward?

Looking ahead to May:

What are you top 3 priorities?
What are your top 5 goals for the month? (Be sure to note these on your Month in Focus, and Your Monthly To-Dos in the PlanDoTrack)
By the end of May, what do you want to make sure you have achieved?
What are the daily steps or consistent actions you want to undertake?
What relationships are important to foster?
What are key tasks that need to get done? (Write these in the Monthly To Do List is you have a copy of the PlanDoTrack)

If you prefer to have a reflective pause, join me and adapt the questions in the recent quarterly review I hosted earlier this month, as part of the PlanDoTrack series. If you are looking to a guide to take your insights deeper around your virtual business and teamwork, be sure to check pick up a copy of either the Coaching Business Builder (for Coaches) or PlanDoTrack (for virtual and remote teams, leaders and entrepreneurs).

Enjoy the pause!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1917: Month End and Q2 Review and Reflection

3/31/2019

It is the end of another month, and also a quarter. What are the key things you want to make sure you take note of, celebrate and review?

Here are several questions you will want to explore as you consider month and quarter end:

Reflecting on March and/ or the entire quarter:

What have been your successes this month?
What didn’t work? Why?
What are the changes you would make in the future to that?
What has been your biggest learning?
What habits have supported you?
What things have gotten in the way?
Where have you been getting your results?
What metrics do you want to note?

Looking ahead to the next quarter or the next month:

What are the things you need to prioritize gong forward – next month? Next quarter?
What do you need to say "no" to?
What resources are going to help you be successful?
What relationships are critical for success?
What do you want to make sure you are communicating? To whom?
What do you want to make sure you schedule time in for?
Thinking about your metrics, what are the things that you want to track on a regular basis. What are the goals you hope to achieve or hit around these in the next period?

Last week I enjoyed leading a session using a new Quarterly Review form. I made this supplementary form available to those who receive my PlanDoTrack newsletter. If you'd like to become a subscriber and receive this monthly newsletter related to planning, and virtual team issues, please sign up here.

I hope that you will find some time today to celebrate your learning and achievements for q1. Please pass this link on to others who could benefit from some reflection and planning time.

Enjoy your reflections,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1887 – Monthly Review & Looking Ahead

3/1/2019

Welcome to the month of March! This month we are focusing on teamwork, skills, foundations and what’s important in today’s virtual space.

I write about virtual teamwork, virtual facilitation and collaboration in two of my more recent books – Effective Virtual Conversations which was released in 2017 and the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner (2019).

If you didn’t catch it, be sure to check out some of my earlier calls this year including:

If you didn’t hear, I’ve created an entire on-demand course around the 19 Productivity Tips series. It is now available as a video-based program, where each tip is accompanied by a short video with me, and a one to two-page worksheet/resource guide.

I will also be hosting two live calls a month which started mid-February, to answer questions and also share additional resources. These calls will also be uploaded to the program resource site.

It’s a great value and I hope you will find it beneficial and join us!

It’s the start of a new month, so here are this month’s planning questions-
Reflecting back on the month of February:

What were my major achievements last month?
What do I want to celebrate?
As I consider my goals (and resolutions) I made at the start of the year, how am I doing with these on a scale of 1-10? Which ones are becoming new habits or something I can check off?
Which goals need to be let go of or changed?
What habits have supported me this month?
As a leader, what have I noticed about my team?
As a leader, what notes should I make about performance issues? (if I haven't done it already!)
The thing that has helped me be most productive in February was ______
The thing that has helped me be most successful in February was ______
The thing that has helped me be happiest in February ________
How I’m doing with my theme of the year (how I am living it, embodying it).

Here are some questions you will want to consider as you step into the new month –
Looking ahead to March:
My priorities this month are:

The one thing I want to make sure I get accomplished before the end of this quarter is….
The one thing I want to check off before the end of winter is….
The project(s) I want to get started...
The project I most want to wrap up is...
I want to leave ______ in the month of February.

Our team priorities this month are:
My top 3- 5 goals this month are ________.
My teams goals this month are ________.
I'll be really happy at the end of March when ________.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development).

#TEAMS365 #1886 – Team Building Tip 225: Month end Questions

2/28/2019

It’s the end of the month and time for another Team Building tip. Today’s question is Let’s Celebrate. What do you have to celebrate from this month? What were your major milestones?

I hope that you will take a few minutes today to take stock of the month. Each month I host a month end review and month ahead planning session for one hour. These calls are beneficial in that they provide a pause for reflection, learning and capturing your ideas. Check out the schedule of upcoming month end planning hacks here.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Connect on Instagram for the 90DaysPlanDoTrack Posts
Phone: (416)996-8326
Check out the new 19 Tips for Productivity On-Demand Course. If this is your year to get things moving, check it out now. Join Jenn for bi-weekly live group calls until July. $129 US. Learn more and enroll here.

#TEAMS365 #1859 – Start of Month Planning and Stocktaking!

2/1/2019

It’s the beginning of another month here at the Teams365 blog. This month I’ll be focusing on wrapping up the 19 for 2019 Productivity Tips, as well as focusing on the topic of team development, relationships and collaboration.
It’s the start of a new month and also time to take stock of what you accomplished in January and also what you have planned for February. Yesterday I hosted a month end review and planning session. As a monthly event, I am always amazed at how much gets done in any given month, and how valuable it is to take time to do some planning to reflect on lessons learned and take time to plan and focus for the new month.

Reflecting on the month of January:

What were my major achievements this month?
What do I want to celebrate?
As I consider my goals (and resolutions) I made at the start of the year, how am I doing with these on a scale of 1-10? Which ones are becoming new habits or something I can check off?
Which goals need to be let go of or changed?
What habits have supported me this month?
As a leader, what have I noticed about my team this month?
As a leader, what notes should I make about performance issues? (if I haven't done it already!)
The thing that has helped me be most productive this month has been ______.
The thing that has helped me be most successful this month has been ______.
The thing that has helped me be happiest this month has been ________.
The thing that has helped me be most healthy has been _______.
What have I noticed about my work/productivity/results and/or relationships during the winter months (if you are in the northern hemisphere) or summer (if you are in the southern hemisphere)?
How am I doing with my theme of the year (how I am living it, embodying it)?

Here are some questions you will want to consider as you step into the new month - Looking ahead to February:

The project I want to get started is…
The project I most want to wrap up is...
I want to leave ______ in the month of January.
My priorities are:
Our team priorities are:
My goals are:
My teams goals are:
I want to......
I'll be really happy at the end of February when….

What else is important to note before you move ahead with the new month?

Enjoy your reflections!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Now available – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Order a copy today on Amazon

#TEAMS365 #1734 – Month End Reflection

9/30/2018

It’s hard to believe that another month has gone by. Here we are at the end of September and it’s time to do our monthly stock taking and reflection.
If you do track your monthly goals and metrics, today is the day to do this!
Take note of these questions:

As you reflect on September, what have been your successes and accomplishments?
As you reflect on the last quarter, what have been your successes and accomplishments?
What are you most proud of?
What successes this month do you want to duplicate?
What top 3 learning have you head that you want to carry forward?
What key relationships have helped you so far this year? Which ones need more attention?
What has helped your successes?
What has hindered or gotten in the way?
What does your team need to be acknowledged for?

As you look to October, consider these questions:
What are your key priorities for October?
What are the key goals?
What are the major priorities?
What will you need to place attention on?
What changes do you want to make in October or this quarter?
What habits do you want to leverage?
When will you check in to explore your progress, and make changes?
What resources do you want to tap into?
Who can help you be successful this month?

This month also is the start to a new quarter. Grab a few more minutes to think about, and NOTE (yes – write it down).

What are your top 5 priorities for this quarter?
What will “wild success” look like at the end of the quarter in each of these priority areas?
What, and who, do you need to complete these priority areas?
What do you need to say NO to, in order to focus on the priorities?
What else is important to note about this quarter?

If you have a copy of the Coaching Biz Builder Workbook and Planner it’s time to complete a new quarterly planning section. Join me for a quarterly planning hack!

Enjoy your reflection!

Coming up – October and a focus on Teamwork Skills.

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

#TEAMS365 #1673 – Month End Reflections and Planning for August

7/31/2018

Where did July go? Here we are at the end of the month and it’s time for another month end stock taking a reflection.

Here are some questions to consider:
1. As you reflect on July, what have been your successes and accomplishments?
2. What tasks earmarked for the second half of 2018 have you been able to take action on?
3. What are you most proud of?
4. What successes this month do you want to duplicate? What has been some of your key learnings?
5. What key relationships have helped you so far this year? Which ones need more attention?
6 What has helped your successes? What has hindered?
7. What does your team need to be acknowledged for?

As you look to August, consider these questions:
1. What are your key priorities for August?
2. What are the key goals?
3. What are the major priorities?
4. What will you need to place attention on?
5. What changes do you want to make in August?
6. What resources do you want to tap into?
7. What will you do to renew next month?
8. What are the things which will allow you to step into flow in August?

I hope that you enjoy your reflections! If you are a coach and you have pre-ordered a copy of the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner, you may want to take some notes on these questions using your July or August monthly planning pages, found towards the back of the planner. Be sure to pick up a copy of the CBB Planner and Workbook at Amazon. Enjoy!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

#TEAMS365 #1645 – Virtual and Remote Team Pulse Check

7/3/2018

It’s the start of a new month and this month we’ll be lasering into more team development processes. Whether you are a virtual and remote team, or an intact team rubbing shoulder to shoulder, teams excel when they are able to focus on both enhancing their RESULTS and boosting their RELATIONSHIPS. If this is your first time to the Teams365 blog, welcome! Do check out past posts I’ve written over the years on Team Development.

Today’s post zooms into the area of a pulse check for virtual and remote teams. While this can apply to all teams, there are some specifics for virtual and remote teams here.

Questions to consider as a virtual team:
As we look across the team:

What have been our major successes this year?
What’s been working well?
What systems have helped us do our best work?
What has helped us keep aligned?
What information have team members benefited from?
What communication strategies are keeping us updated?
What ways are we supporting each other – through skills, sharing of information etc?
Who else needs to be looped in?

On a scale of 1-10, how would we rate our focus on results?

What’s working?
What’s not?

On a scale of 1-10, how would we rate our focus on relationships?
What’s working?
What’s not?

What is needed to do your best work going forwards?

Have a great week!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326